Hospitality a Bigger (and Better) Fish to Fry

Hospitality is just one of many great options for adults returning to school to find a new career. Read Tiffany’s inspiring story and contact Tony Hooker at the Adult Re-entry Center (ahooker@parkland.edu) to start your own journey.

Early motherhood may have halted Tiffany Fry’s plans to complete her Parkland education 24 years ago, but it never stunted her dreams of doing so. Back then, the one-time Cobras track standout chose dedicating her life to raising her new son, and later, his brothers, over academic pursuits. The two decades of life away from Parkland only sharpened Tiffany’s career passion; upon returning, she knew just what she wanted to study: food.

Deciding to go back to school was a “leap of faith,” however, as she had to leave an eight-year management job to do so. “Facing your fears head-on is the best way; the challenge is yours to make, but you have to want it enough to take it on.”

Tiffany, a straight-A student, graduated from Parkland in May with degrees in Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts Management plus several Hospitality certificates including Hotel/Motel Management. She called the two-year journey to get where she is today “incredible and eye-opening at the same time.”

“I have changed in so many ways,” she explained. “Most of all, I believe in myself more now than ever before. Parkland has given me the tools to make the educated decisions I didn’t make before.”

With her post-graduation sights on a position as a food and beverage/banquet manager or director, Tiffany ultimately hopes to own her own restaurant and bar—”nothing fancy, just something that is my own.” She feels equipped to the task now, both because of her personal traits and her new Parkland training. “I know I am a people person, so this industry was just what I was born to do; it took me some time to get here, but nevertheless, I’m here and I never gave up,” she said. “My Parkland instructors were real people, meaning they have lived life and seen the struggles that go on with juggling school, work, family, etc. They are understanding, and as long as you communicate with them they will do what they can and will go above and beyond to help you.”